Displaced learners to proceed with education, examinations

Police keep vigil as a bulldozers demolish residential houses in Kibera, Nairobi. The area is earmarked for a road construction to link the Langata road and Ngong road. [Noor Khamis/Standard]
Pupils from more than a dozen public schools demolished in Kibera estate and Mau Forest will be accommodated in other institutions.

According to the Ministry of Education, the displaced learners will be assisted to enroll in schools around the areas where their families will be resettled.
Three schools in Kibera were demolished on Monday to make way for construction of the Ngong Road-Kibera-Kiungu Karumba-Langata Link Road. The schools are Egesa Primary, Makina Self Help Primary and Mashimoni Primary Old Nation Church.
In Maasai Mau Forest, 15 schools have been closed as the Government evicts locals living on forest land.

The ministry told The Standard yesterday that although the ministry itself was the “collateral damage” in the evictions and demolitions, there were plans to help displaced learners continue with their education.
Kennedy Buhere, the ministry’s communication officer, said wherever the learners settled with their families, they would receive help to join nearby schools.
Academic future
Mr Buhere said there was no way the dislocations would ruin the students’ academic future, adding that the situation was temporary.
“This is not a war situation. Where there are schools, the affected children will join and proceed,” he said by phone.

The ministry also insisted that national exam candidates in both primary and secondary schools would not be affected despite their examination centres being closed down. Next term, Standard Eight and Form Four students will sit for their final exams in their registered centres.
“We have registered the candidates. We have their details and they will definitely sit for their exams.”
Although Buhere did not give specific examples, he said the ministry had dealt with similar cases in the past and ensured that candidates were able to sit for their exams.
The evictions and demolitions comes at a time when schools are scheduled to close early next month for the August holidays.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has asked the Government to stop the ongoing demolitions in Kibra and complete the enumeration and resettlement process.

They argued that the evictions betrayed the agreement reached by Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Kenya National Human Rights Commission and National Lands Commission to undertake a rapid Resettlement Action Plan.
Resettlement plan
During a meeting held on July 10 by Kura, KNCHR, NLC and representatives of the affected residents, it was agreed that enumeration would be conducted and a resettlement plan put in place before the demolitions.
Abigael Mbagaya , the NLC vice chair, said during the meeting that they had resolved to prepare the affected residents to relocate in the shortest time possible.
According to Amnesty International CEO Irungu Houghton, under the agreement, the process of enumerating residents of the four villages of Mashimoni, Lindi, Kambi Muru and Kisumu Ndogo began last week.